aʁtʊʁ
by BritishShinshi
Summary: Cabin Boy Alfred F. Jones thought his life at sea couldn't get anymore boring. Until one night, he and the crew captured a creature that they thought only existed in books and fairytales.
1. One

Alfred couldn't sleep.

He was among the young men sharing the same cabin aboard Romano's Revenge, a large ship that has Antonio Carriedo as the Captain. All of them, a fresh batch of recruits last February, share the same desire to live at sea and experience what it's like being a pirate.

Watching the fiery sunset over the horizon, sailing the seven seas, taste the sprinkle of saltwater as you sail forward to where the wind takes you… these are all the goals Alfred had listed down once he planned to join Captain Carriedo's crew. The man was a feared pirate known by all, but somehow, he means well to everyone's eyes. He was loyal to the royal family at the mainland, which is what boosted up his popularity and fame.

Nevertheless, he never expected Antonio to be a bloodthirsty pirate that hunted rare, mythical creatures that Alfred only sees in fairytale books.

One thing the captain has set his eyes for were merfolk.

Beautiful, yet dangerous creatures that lurk the deep depths of the Atlantic.

And Antonio Carriedo's crew had captured one.

Another loud screech echoed through the walls, the noise coming from the cellars beneath the ship. It wasn't a human screech, it was a merman's. The way that they scream was different; it sounded like a howl, it was husky and ear-splitting, yet it came out in smooth intervals.

It was the sound of an innocent creature screaming for help.

It wanted to go home.

It must be scared right now.

While the other boys were trying block the horrendous, inhumane screeching, Alfred was frozen on his bed. His tensed, azure eyes stared hard at the dark ceiling, a bleeding pool of regret beginning to fill his insides.

Alfred couldn't do anything. He wasn't in any high authority to do something. He was a low ranked cabin boy that mopped the decks and wiped the cannons. That was all he is.

And he hated it.

He hated feeling hopeless while he listens to a creature crying for help.

He didn't even want to imagine what they were doing to him.

Biting his bottom lip, Alfred tried to force himself to sleep and ignore the cries.

But he couldn't.

He remained awake with his pool of regret.

x

Alfred wasn't one of the crewmen that captured the merman the other night, yet, he manages to feel every ounce of regret.

He was supposed to be a hero. And a hero shouldn't leave a distressed being, whether they were human or not, into the hands of evil.

It was morning, and Alfred was moving barrels from one side of the ship to the other. Amongst the other boys his age that carried the same rank as him, Alfred was the strongest, and it was recognized by many, including the captain himself. With his ungodly strength, the American managed to finish his rounds faster than the rest.

During his break, Antonio's first mate appeared on deck. Said mate was a Frenchman by the name Francis Bonnefoy. Although he was a pirate and he endured rough experience at sea, the man managed to maintain a healthy mop of blonde hair. His skin was pristine and there was no speck of dust nor dirt present in his body.

Sometimes they mistook Francis as some prince that was brainwashed and taken hostage by Captain Carriedo himself.

Nevertheless, the sight of Francis' current appearance caused everyone on board to stay frozen.

It was so quiet, everyone could hear a pin drop.

Francis' hair was disheveled, with some strands poking at strange angles. Dirt and grime was glued onto the tips of his blonde hair, some of it stickin onto his neck. Black rings were under his eyes, which were bloodshot in sight. The clothes that the Frenchman had taken care of were in shambles; the sleeves were torn off, and the front of his shirt seemed to have been scratched on.

Gilbert, Antonio's second mate, whistled. "Damn, Francis, did babysitting the fish guy-" The Prussian man didn't even finish his insult when Francis launched himself onto the albino, grimy hands latching onto his white shirt.

"I can't take it anymore! That… that little imbecile is a pest! I tried to give him food but all he did was scratch me!" Francis kept going on and on about his terrible experience with the merman. "We had to restrain him before he could latch those little fangs of his on me. He almost did! Mon dieu, do you even have any idea on what their bites can cause?!"

Yes, Alfred was aware of their bites.

It was said that merfolk carried venom in their system, venom that could turn any human into a species like theirs. The moment a merman's, or mermaid's, fangs sink onto your skin, it only takes minutes before your entire body transforms into something else.

And that's why Antonio wanted to capture one. His plan was the take the merman back to the mainland, have its venom extracted, and use it on criminals to turn them into merfolk that Antonio could control.

Although Antonio says it was to lower the crime rate at the mainland, the entirety of his plan was wrong. It wasn't fair to the humans he was going to use it on, and it was certainly not fair for the innocent merman that they took hostage.

"Take over for me," Francis said, clutching onto Gilbert's shirt. "I cannot last another night with that monster!"

"That's too bad," Gilbert spat, shoving the Frenchman off of him. "Boss made you the watch guard, not me."

"And I'm his first mate, and I'm telling you to take over."

"You don't have that kind of authority," Gilbert growled, his eyes narrowing to a glare that intimidated everyone on board.

Except Francis.

"Yes I do."

And they resorted to fighting.

The crew brushed it off and continued on with their duties, afraid the captain might spot them not doing work.

As the two men fought with each other, Alfred watched them, his cup half-empty with water as an idea popped in his mind.

The captain came and he started scolding his two mates, threatening to throw them overboard if they continued to tear each other's throats. Francis had voiced his concerns with Gilbert chorusing that he didn't want to partake in 'babysitting' with the 'fish guy'.

Before Antonio could make a decision, Alfred, with no hesitation, jumped into their conversation.

"I'll do it."

x

The American had thought that he'd have to fight his way to convince Antonio to replace Francis with him, but turns out there was no need to do so.

Because here he was, holding a bucket of raw cod and seaweed while sauntering down to the ship's cellars. Alfred had wanted to take off the seaweed, it seemed insulting to have the green, slimy sea grass in the bucket of fish, but his hands were full at the moment.

Alfred reached the last cellar door before placing the bucket beside his feet. Taking the key around his neck, the American inserted it inside the keyhole, but he didn't twisted it yet.

Inside was a creature that he's never seen in his entire nineteen years of living. This was his fifth month of sailing in Antonio's ship, and he never expected to encounter a mythical being like this one. The night they caught the merman was dark and stormy; the waves were furious and the wind grew cold.

It was as if something was mad that night.

Whatever creature they captured that night, a god was angry that they took away one of his creations.

Taking a deep breath and swallowing an air of bravery, Alfred twisted the key and pushed the door open.

Inside the small, cramped space was enough to take the air away from Alfred's lungs.

Sitting on one corner of the cell was the merman. His bottom half was a gorgeous shade of green that reminded Alfred of the big oak trees back home. Looking at the torso the tail was attached to, his eyes catch sight of scales that dotted his skin starting from the bottom, where the torso and his tail were attached. His arms, mostly the area around his elbows, was matted with green scales as well.

The merman wasn't entirely covered in scales. Porcelain, white skin was still visible in contrast with the deep shade of green that was the creature's scales.

Moving his eyes forward, a mop of golden blonde hair framed the merman's heart shaped head. Once he laid his view on the creature's face, Alfred's breath had been clogged.

Despite the merman's majestic appearance, Alfred couldn't help but cower under the scowl the creature was giving him.

Francis informed Alfred that the merman had instincts similar to a cat's; _if you stand anywhere close to him, he'll bear his fangs and hiss out you, and he won't hesitate to claw at you as well._

Francis was dead wrong.

This was no cat.

It was a tiger.

Despite the merman's small frame and slim figure, he radiated a dangerous air around him.

Alfred felt like a prey being hunted by a quiet, stealthy predator. He feels as if he would be hunted down if he turned his back even for just a second.

Swallowing his fear, Alfred took the bucket and slowly walked inside the cell room. He focused his eyes on the merman's, his nerves calming down as he caught sight of how beautiful the creature's eyes were. They were green as well, but his eyes reminded Alfred of precious emeralds that glowed brightly even in the day.

Alfred would gawk and stare at the merman's eyes longer if he wasn't scowling at the American in that way.

If looks could kill, then Alfred was a dead man the moment he laid his eyes on the merman.

"Hey," he attempted to say in a calm, composed manner. Alfred wanted to approach him with peace in his eyes to tell the merman that he meant no harm. Knowing Francis, the Frenchman's way of approach must have been to flirt and wink at the creature non-stop - which proved to be useless seeing the man ended up in scratches and dirt. "I've got something for you."

The merman didn't respond, he remained glaring daggers at him.

"I'm not like the other one, I promise," Alfred assured with a bright smile. "I'm going to be looking after you for a while."

Nothing changed. The blonde-haired merman continued looking at him in a way that said _Go to hell and die._

Alfred kept attempting to make peace with the latter, but his attempts were useless.

The merman won't budge at all.

And he thought getting a human's trust was harder.

"Maybe you can't understand me," Alfred concluded. The merman did release different sounds when he screeches. It was an odd, yet captivating sound that allured him. "You might not understand me through words, but you might through my actions."

Alfred placed the bucket of cod and gestured at it with a smile. Cautiously, he pushed the bucket towards the merman with his feet - quietly praying in his head that the merman won't bite his leg off - and presented it to him with exaggerated hand gestures.

It tickled his heart when the enchanting emerald eyes glanced down to look at the bucket for a second before they resumed to scowl at Alfred.

Well, there was a first to everything.

"I'll leave you for now, you can finish all of that by yourself. I'll check you again around noon." It was only now did Alfred notice that large chain around the merman's waist, and the harsh ring marks on both of his wrists.

It made his heart clenched at the sight of them.

This innocent being deserved none of this torture.

If only Alfred could do something to help him, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

But for now, he needed to get the merman to trust him first.

Alfred left the cellar after locking it.

When he returned at noon like he said, the bucket was still full of fish.

But the seaweed was gone.

x

"You think the merman's a vegetarian?"

"That's what I think," Alfred says to Matthew Williams, another cabin boy that was his age. Both of them were sorting through the fish inside the nets; they were freshly caught. "From the past few days, I've only given him seaweed, kelp, or anything green that gets caught up in the nets when we get a new catch. He _refuses_ to eat fish, Mattie."

Matthew, with a live mackerel in his hand, stared at him as if he was crazy. "Excuse me, you said the merman is a vegetarian?"

"I just said that-... ooh, pass me that string of kelp, he prefers these over anything," Alfred said as he tucked the seagrass inside a bucket.

The Canadian beside him was still fazed. "A vegetarian?" He choked. "You make it sound like you two became best buddies or something."

"Eh, something like that. I think I'm slowly getting his trust," Alfred shrugged before chucking some more greens in his bucket. "He stopped scowling at me on day three. And he even eats when I'm still in the room! He never did that at first meeting, but he does it now. He gives me glances, but he turns away whenever I look at him. It almost looks like he wants to talk to me or something."

"Didn't you say he can't understand our language?"

"I know, but actions can be used to communicate too you know," Alfred replied, showing his thumb pointing up. "It's working for me so it isn't entirely useless."

"Whatever you say," Matthew sighed before he resumed his own responsibilities.

As the two continued to work, Alfred glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot of what he was about to say.

"I'm thinking of releasing him," he whispered, causing Matthew to drop the cod in his hand, the fish wiggling back into the ocean.

Matthew looks at him in the eye as if Alfred was crazy. "What?!" He whispered harshly. "Why would you do that? _How_ would you do that?"

"Mattie, he doesn't deserve this," Alfred explained, his eyes turning serious as they stared at each other. "He doesn't deserve being locked up and caged. He needs to be free and with his own kind. He's much safer that way."

"Alfred, this is… this is crazy. You're signing your own death wish by-"

"It doesn't matter what happens to me," Alfred confessed honestly. "Until he's back in the ocean, I'm going to have to make some sacrifices. Please don't tell anyone about this."

_I wish you never told me about it in the first place_. "I won't, I promise."

Alfred smiled at him before staring into the horizon.

He needed to make a plan quick. He knew he couldn't just grab the merman and throw him off board; there were too many people guarding the deck day and night. They would be caught, and Alfred would be killed. If he dies, then there would be no hope for the caged merman.

They had about ten more days before they could reach the mainland. The merman won't be in his hands the moment they reach the shores.

Time was crucial.

And Alfred won't waste any second of it.

x

"I'm back," Alfred announced as he entered the merman's cell.

Green eyes lit up as he appeared - though his face showed no emotion, the merman's green eyes sparkled in delight at what he saw.

"Got you a new batch, very generous of me, yeah?" Alfred smiled before setting the bucket in front of the merman.

At this point, the merman's level of trust had brought Alfred to sit closer to him without feeling the fear of being bitten. But the creature refused to be touched. The rings around his wrists were still there, and Alfred wanted to care for them. Nevertheless, the merman showed himself to be a stubborn one.

As the mythical creature ate, Alfred looked at his crossed legs, deep in thought. He didn't notice the merman eating something different until he spat something out of his mouth, the said thing hitting Alfred's forehead.

The American flinched at the small sting of pain against his skin. His eyes glanced up at the merman's, whose face was twisted in disgust. He wiped his lips with his arm before protruding his tongue out, shaking his head rapidly for a fraction of a second.

_Oh, holy god, he is so adorable_, Alfred almost chuckled at the merman's show of disgust. Did he eat something bad?

In his webbed hand was a clam shell. "Oh," Alfred started. "That must have gotten stuck with the kelp." He watched as the merman threw the empty clam shell across the room, protruding his tongue once more before reaching for more seaweed in the bucket.

Meanwhile, Alfred looked down to see what had cuffed his forehead. Under the crevices between his crossed legs was something round and shiny. He picked up the small orb and rolled it between his fingers.

"Hey, you got a pearl," Alfred said, but the merman paid him no mind. "These stuff are pretty rare. Especially for clam shells. Here, you take it."

He placed the pearl on his palm and absentmindedly pushed his arm towards the merman. Green eyes stared at the pearl at first, and then he slapped it out of Alfred's hand before grunting a disgusted 'Eck', voicing his disinterest of the rare item.

Alfred's mind was blank at first before he jumped in surprise. "You touched me!" He said as if he accomplished a goal.

The merman flinched and looked at Alfred with wide, confused eyes. His eyes watched the American dance around with a wide grin on his face. He had no idea what had caused the man to be so happy; it only raised more curiosity.

"I can't believe you touched me!" Alfred said before kneeling back down. Now, if only he can do it again, then maybe he can get the merman to hold his hands out so Alfred could do something about those marked wrists.

The merman didn't know why the pirate was happy all of a sudden, but he couldn't help but think that the smile on the American's face was charming…

Meanwhile, as Alfred thought of any way to get into that level of trust, he noticed the merman looking at him. There was still some kelp hanging outside of the bucket, making Alfred wonder why the merman hasn't finished it yet.

However, Alfred saw this as his chance. It was the first time the merman gave him this much attention. And he displayed no sign of hostility nor alarm.

Maybe… maybe he has entered that level of trust already.

But he needed to check.

Slowly, pouring all of his courage onto his left arm, Alfred steadily reached forward to the merman, his palm spread open in a friendly manner, as if to say 'Take my hand'. He bit his lip in anticipation while his heart pounded harshly against his ribcage.

The merman stared at his hand curiously, like a baby finding a new toy to inspect. He didn't know what the American was trying to do, so he does the first thing his brain tells him to do.

The merman places his chin on top of Alfred's hand, and then glanced at the said man to look at his reaction, his own expression asking if he did it right.

Nevertheless, he finds the American bearing a funny, odd expression; where his crystal blue eyes were wide open, and his face was a strange red color.

_Oh, shit, he's too damn cute_, Alfred thought to himself, the heat in his face reaching his ears. _If Carriedo doesn't kill me first, this guy surely will!_

After a few seconds, Alfred, bravely, moved to cup the merman's cheek. It was cold to the touch, which made him wonder if merfolk carried temperature that was lower than a human's.

Surprisingly, the merman didn't push him away. Instead, he closed his emerald eyes and leaned closer to Alfred's touch, wishing to feel more of the foreign, yet comfortable warmth.

It brought a smile on Alfred's face.

_There we go…_

x

"And finished," Alfred said before placing his hands on his knees. "All wrapped up. They should be healing faster now."

The merman, with his puzzled green eyes, looked at the strange white cloth that was wrapped around both his wrists. He was about to touch it until Alfred took a hold of his nosy hand.

"No, no, it won't heal if you do that," he said, wiggling his pointer finger with his other hand.

The merman pouted at that.

Alfred chuckled. "You're so cute. I know you probably don't know what that means but, oh well. I wish there could be a way for you to understand what I'm saying, and a way for me to understand what _you_ are saying."

They were quiet for a moment, but they remained holding hands.

"Hey," Alfred started.

He cupped the merman's cheek, earning him a view of precious emeralds no pirare can ever attain.

"I'm going to get you out of here," he says, running his thumb against the merman's soft cheek. "Even if it's the last thing I do."

To translate it through gestures so the merman can try and understand - Alfred pointed at the merman, then to himself, and then to the door.

Alfred knew that at that moment, the merman understood clearly.

Why?

Because he flashed a smile.

Which almost killed Alfred's heart.

**This fanfic got longer than I expected. It was suppose to be included in my UsUk Collection, but it got too long so I decided to separate it. It's around six thousand words, so I will be splitting it into two chapters. Expect the second to be uploaded in a few hours. Because momma needs some sleep :D**


	2. Two

Alfred had a sick feeling bubbling in his chest.

In his arms was the usual bucket of seagrass he gathered for his merman friend. He clutched it closer to his body, his mind trying to register why he felt a heavy feeling planting itself in his heart.

Was it about the merman?

The American notices how different the merman was acting these past three days. He was more quiet and reserved. One time Alfred caught the merman sleeping during the day, and he once refused to eat one night.

His friend's behavior had begun to trigger the worried nerves in him. Alfred tried to ask what was wrong with him, but the merman seemed to distant himself from the human. He wouldn't even look at Alfred in the eye.

The merman has grown quiet… too quiet.

Alfred unlocked the cell before pushing the door open. The moment his blue eyes landed inside the room, he understood why he had those strange, worried nerves that pinched his insides.

The merman was sitting at the corner of the room, his head down with his arms lying motionlessly on both of his sides. He almost looked… lifeless, like a used up, ragged doll.

Alfred was beside him in a fraction of a second, hands coming up to inspect his face. He noticed how pale his friend had become; well, the merman had porcelain white skin in the beginning, but it somehow turned even paler and dry in appearance and texture. His green tale had translated to a muddy green color, and some of his scales had chipped off.

Inspecting the merman's face, Alfred gasped when an uncomfortable heat tickled his fingertips. This was the first time the creature released high temperature, and the heat did not look like it was doing any good for the merman.

The merman had his eyes tightly closed, his breathing ragged and shallow.

Alfred's mind was blank, but one thing remained clear,

The merman was dying.

He needed to get back to the ocean.

Now.

x

Alfred's plan of a stealthy escape for the merman was thrown out the window the second the American realized his friend was dying. He should have known; Antonio should have known. Although the merman had the ability to breath on land, that doesn't mean he could stay out of the water forever. He needed to be released back to the sea and never to be taken away from his home again.

With the merman in his arms, Alfred ran up to the deck at a quick speed. There were shouts and cries behind him, but his ears never registered the sounds. In his mind, there was only one goal that he focused on.

Which was the get the merman back in the water.

Everything happened so fast. He was already on the first deck, his long legs sprinting to the right edge of the ship.

He was almost there. He could taste the drizzle of saltwater in his tongue.

Almost there.

The merman can go finally go home.

He can-

"JONES!"

Burly arms had grabbed him from behind, pulling him back at such force that he lost his grip on the merman. At first he hoped he was far off the edge of the ship, enough for the merman to fall overboard but it wasn't. The weakened creature pummeled on the deck, releasing a strangled screech at the hard impact.

"No!" He successfully fought against the arms that held onto him. Once he was free, he knelt down beside the merman, shielding him away from the pirates with his body.

"What's going on here?" Antonio appeared on deck, a displeased frown stretched across his face.

"Jones tried to release the merman, Captain," one of the pirates reported, his eyes glaring daggers at the blonde American.

"Jones?" Antonio's hard stare landed on Alfred, who didn't cower in fear. The determined blonde held his ground. "And why would you do that? You are aware that this is an act of treason that you're doing, boy. Are you signing your death wish at this age?"

"Captain, he's dying," Alfred explained with desperation. "He has to go back to the sea. He can't stay on land any longer!"

Every pair of eyes was focused on Alfred right now. The hard stares were piercing at him, burning his exposes skin. But Alfred showed no sign of backing down.

"Dying you say," Antonio turned to a few of his men before barking orders.

They came with barrels of saltwater. Watching the men with cautious eyes, he shook his head in disapproval as they doused the merman with the water. "No, that… that's not enough! Captain, you don't understand-"

"Save your breath, boy," Antonio snapped. "I doubt this monster can last another day on this ship, and we've got another week before we reach the mainland."

Heavy weight had planted itself on Alfred's chest.

He didn't like where this was going.

"And I don't fancy trying to catch another one these slippery scumbags. Can't believe I have to do everything myself… but on the bright side, I know a merchant who would pay thousands for a merman's skeleton," Antonio grinned, his boots thumping against the wooden deck. He stood in front of Alfred, his eyes testing him. "Hold him down."

Alfred wasn't stupid. He knew what this bastard had planned.

"No."

"No?" Antonio laughed. "You dare disobey me, Jones? And here I thought you were loyal to me." The captain's eyes dropped to a dangerous level. "I'm only going to say this one more time; hold him down."

Alfred scowled back with the same intensity. "Never."

Silence followed, but after a pregnant pause, Antonio replied. "Fine then." He turned to his men. "Get him."

Alfred expected this, but he wasn't fast enough. A pair of arms took hold of the American's shoulders, subduing him and pulling his body away from the merman. "Ah!" He turned to see Francis behind him. "Let me go!"

Seeing that Alfred was stronger, Gilbert came to help Francis. With two men holding him back, the American couldn't find a way to budge out from their hold.

Alarms started blaring in his head when three pirates began holding the merman down, who had woken up the moment they grasped a painful grip against his frail limbs.

A similar screeching yell was released, and it broke Alfred's heart. Even though he was weak and at a disadvantage, the merman was still trying to fight back.

"Let me go! Stop!" Alfred fought and thrashed under Francis' and Gilbert's arms, but the two men fought with equal resistance.

With two pirates holding the merman's limbs down, and another was holding the creature's head still, Antonio climb onto his body and pulled a small vial from his pocket.

Green, feral eyes caught what the Captain was holding, sending the merman to a frenzy. He continued screeching and yelling, his small body attempting to push the Spaniard off of him.

Antonio paid him no mind. Grabbing the merman's jaw, Antonio forced his mouth to open. The captain's greedy eyes caught sight of two small fangs that protruded from the merman's line of teeth. Wasting no more time, he inserted one fang into his vial. Antonio gripped on the creature's jaw harder to cause it pain, which released some of his venom out from his fangs.

The louder the merman screamed, the harder Alfred had fought.

"Gilbert! Hold this arms!"

"I'm trying!"

Alfred's eyes were staring at the merman with guilt. The sight in front of him was so painful it was beginning to bring tears to his eyes. The merman's slim body was writhing under the harsh grip of four men, and Alfred had suddenly felt the urge to murder those who hurt his blonde, green-eyed friend.

All of the men that was on the ship never noticed the gray clouds that began replacing the sunny, blue sky. Only when they felt the ship rock did they notice the sudden change of weather.

A thunderstorm was coming.

"What in the-"

The boat suddenly tipped to starboard, causing everyone on board to lose balance.

Alfred saw this as his chance.

The American brought his head forward before head butting Francis square to the face.

The Frenchman screamed. "AAH! MY NOSE!"

It was easy for Alfred to escape their grip. Trying his best to hold his ground, he made a run for it to the merman.

Meanwhile, Antonio cursed when the vial was thrown away from his grasp, the ounce of venomous liquid crashing into the wooden deck. He, along with the three men beside him, had found themselves forcefully barreled to the other side by inertia.

Alfred caught the merman by the arm before throwing him onto his shoulder. He slowly regained his balance once the ship began straightening its body back up. The winds turned cold, the waves grew in height, and a familiar, treacherous symphony began playing.

It felt like deja vu.

The American ran back to the edge, and before he could even throw the merman out, the ship was tipped again, but it was to the other side this time.

It was enough to throw both Alfred and the merman overboard.

Alfred's ears met the harsh waters as he got submerged. Although he was happy the merman had finally reached the water, he began to worry for himself.

Especially since the Atlantic water was filled with fast swimming creatures he's never seen before.

Alfred screamed underwater when unfamiliar webbed hands grabbed onto him, and more and more hands began clutching onto his limbs and clothes. His ears bled at the sound of high pitched shrieks and bellows. They were everywhere!

Merman, mermaids - there were dozens swimming around him! Each in different size and color.

But they all carried one similar trait: **_anger_**.

Hate and fury were written in their expressions. At first he thought they would bite him, but they didn't.

One thing was clear.

They were going to drown him.

Pressure exploded in his ears the deeper the merfolk dragged him. At that moment he thought he was going to die; he would rot on the ocean floor and no one will remember him. He grew up in an orphanage anyway - it wasn't as if there was anyone important that would remember him.

Before he could even continue with his dark thoughts, a familiar shrill echoed throughout the area in proximity. In a second, the dozens of arms that were holding him released their hold. Although his vision in water - oh, he even lost glasses - was blurry, something green appeared in his view before arms wrapped around his body.

Alfred, albeit the frigid water pinching his skin, smiled. He didn't second guess the merman who held onto him.

Two heads emerged from blue ocean, one head gasping for air. The green-eyed merman held onto the American, tugging him towards north.

Alfred opened his eyes to see Antonio's ship sinking. The back part of the large boat was completely submerged underwater while its top half slowly followed in tow. The men were all huddled on one side, trying to climb higher and higher to avoid the icy water. Some of them, sadly, were losing balance and falling off the ship.

He knew it. They should have known better. Messing with another kind brought tough consequences. Antonio shouldn't have captured this merman. Because it had taken the lives of many, including himself.

The merman was swimming towards something with the American perched on his back, his arms wrapped around the creature's waist. The merman, despite being smaller than Alfred, managed to swim at a high speed even with a heavy weight in tow. Maybe merfolk were naturally strong in the ocean environment.

Alfred placed his head down and closed his eyes. He didn't know where they were going, but he trusted the merman.

What happens now?

x

"Captain…?" Francis stammered, swallowing an air of fear as he held onto the ship's steering wheel. His amethyst eyes cowered at the sight of the ocean eating their ship inch by inch. Along with the monstrous waves were fast swimming bodies that surrounded the ship's perimeter.

They were waiting.

"H-hey, Cap?" Gilbert called out as well. "What are your o-orders?"

Antonio said nothing. His hazel eyes watched the wind take his hat, carrying it elsewhere.

The Spaniard pulled his compass, opening the cover but he didn't look at the arrows. Instead, he glanced a loving look at the picture attached to the cover. It was a picture of a scowling man that had a wild long curl that rested towards the right side of his head.

"Lovino, we shall meet at last," Antonio says before closing the compass.

Both of his mates heard him.

"Hey… Tony, what are you…"

"You're kidding, right?"

Antonio only smiled at them.

"Brace yourselves, amigos."

x

Alfred was staring into two shining emeralds that sparkled under the orange and yellow sunset. It was the golden hour where the sky was in an array of reds, oranges, and yellows; a beautiful gradient that stretched across the infinite sky.

He was laying his back on a beach shore, the shallow water splashing calmly against his body. Hovering above him was the blonde haired merman, his webbed hands tucking a strand of wet hair behind Alfred's ear.

It tickled him, but it was overshadowed by the butterflies that kept multiplying in his stomach.

"Wow," Alfred started, his azure eyes mesmerized by the angel on top of him. "And here I thought you couldn't get anymore beautiful."

It was true. The view above me was a heavenly sight that made his heart flutter. He stared harder, trying to make a mental picture to keep in his memories.

The merman looked gorgeous under the sunset. Now that he had a dive into the ocean, the natural colors of his tail, skin, and eyes have returned. The pale, muddy shades of green were replaced by a rich, glowing shade of emeralds that complimented the merman's alluring jade eyes.

They were holding each other's cheeks, staying silent to look at one another. Nevertheless, before Alfred could utter a word to break the silence, the merman was lowering his head, and then planted his lips over Alfred's.

The American's mind went blank, and he could do nothing but lay down and let himself be kissed by the lips of an angel. The soft skin moving against his mouth felt _heavenly_.

Pulling away, Alfred would be lying if he said he didn't want more. But his sulking had vanished when the merman began doing something he's never done before.

"Thank… you."

He spoke.

The merman spoke!

"Wha… how, you can speak?!" Alfred was flabbergasted. His jaw dropping, his azure eyes widening in surprise. "How did you-"

"I learn... language… through…" He touched Alfred's lips. "Kissing. We… have our own… language. In order… for us to speak… your tongue, we must… touch our lips with… yours."

"Really?" Alfred blushed at the thought. "Then why didn't you do it in the first place?" He regretted saying that, for the blush in his cheeks grew even more crimson. "Wait! Nevermind, I think I understand. Humans feel sensitive about kissing too, so it must be the same for you."

The human kept stammering and blushing. Leaning closely again, the merman kissed Alfred, and this time, Alfred kissed back.

It was a short, sweet kiss that they shared before pulling away.

"Thank you…" The merman says. He placed his head against Alfred's forehead. "For saving me… my brothers have been worried. They almost killed you."

Alfred recalled the angry mermen that tried to drown him a few minutes ago. "Ah, no worries. They must have thought I was the enemy. No biggie; I understand why they acted like that."

The merman nodded. He cocked his head to the side before inquiring, "Your name… is Alfred, yes? You've mentioned it before."

"Yep." The American's eyes sparkled. "I can get to know yours now."

"aʁtʊʁ," he answered.

"Ar…ur…? It sounds similar to Arthur."

"Yes, that is what I said, but it sounds different coming from your tongue." Alfred thumbed the American's lips. "Why is that?"

"We come from different worlds, there's a lot of things that we have uncommon," Alfred said with a smile.

An echoing screech came from Arthur's back. Two pairs of eyes caught the small group of heads poking out of the water, two of them doing a silent cry that most likely meant they were calling for their brother.

A downcasted look stretched across his face. "You should go," his voice cracked. "Your family is calling for you."

He shouldn't feel this way. It was his goal for Arthur to be released back to the ocean. It was him who decided to help the merman back to his home.

So why didn't he want Arthur to leave?

The merman looked back at him, noticing the sorrowful expression plastered on the human's face.

"Does Alfred… want to go with me?"

Alfred's eyes widened once more. "Wha-what are you saying?"

"With me," Arthur repeats, taking Alfred's larger hand and placing it against his scaly chest. "Follow me to the ocean... and swim with me…"

It was amazing how Alfred never hesitated to answer back.

Well, he's got nothing to lose anyway.

"How would I do that?"

Arthur pointed to his mouth. "Through our bite."

Oh, of course. The bite. He's forgotten about that.

The merman placed a hand on Alfred's chest. "Are you sure that you want to be turned? It will be quick… but it will hurt a lot. I do not want you to regret it."

Alfred smiled in assurance. "I can take it. If it means getting to be by your side, then I'm willing to endure the pain."

Another webbed hand cupped his cheek. "Are you sure? This is my last warning, your last chance to change your mind before I turn you."

"Do it. Let me be apart of your world."

x

Swimming under the ocean floor were a group of merfolk with varying colors. The head of the family, a merman with a crimson tail that matched his fiery mop of red hair, looked at his family, counting each head to make sure everyone was here. He counted four including himself, plus one because they earned a new member recently.

His protective eyes glanced at their youngest, the one with the emerald tail, but he didn't need to worry, for the merman swimming beside him, a sandy-blonde with a long azure tail, was there to assure their youngest won't accidentally separate the group again.

The mermen, one bearing an emerald green tail and the other a prismarine blue, swam closely to each other before entwining their webbed hands together.


End file.
